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What You Need To Know About Magnesium

Why Do We Need Magnesium?

Magnesium is an important mineral that plays a role in keeping your body healthy.

It helps to:

Strengthen bones and teeth
Maintain normal muscle and nerve function
Metabolize carbohydrates (sugars), lipids (fats) and proteins
Promote normal blood pressure

Although it is rare, If you don’t get enough magnesium, you may feel fatigued. A lack of magnesium may also cause muscle contractions, cramps and a decreased appetite.

Magnesium Daily Needs

The amount of magnesium you need depends on your age, sex and life stage:

Age	Daily Requirement (mg/day)
Men 19-30 years old	400
Women 19-30 years old	310
Men 31 years old and older	420
Women 31 years and older	320

It is important to have no more than 350 mg of magnesium per day from supplements. Magnesium from food and water is safe to have above this amount.

Common Food Sources of Magnesium

Magnesium-rich foods include leafy green vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Meats, starchy foods and milk can also contain various amounts of this essential mineral. See the table below for the magnesium content of some common foods.

Food Group	Food	Serving Size	Magnesium (mg)

Vegetables and Fruit
	Prickly pear	1 medium	88
	Spinach, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	83
	Swiss chard, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	80
	Potato, with skin, baked	1 medium	48
	Okra, cooked	25 mL (½ cup)	30

Grain Products Cereal
	Cereal, bran	30 g	97
	Wheat germ	30 g (¼ cup)	96
	Quinoa, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	63
	Cereal, bran (flakes)	30 g	39

Milk and Alternatives
	Cheese, soy	50 g (1.5 oz)	114
	Soy beverage, fortified	250 mL (1 cup)	65

Meat and Alternatives
	Salmon, Chinook, cooked	75 g (2.5 oz)	92
	Mackerel, Atlantic, cooked	75 g (2.5 oz)	73
	Pollock, Atlantic, cooked	75 g (2.5 oz)	64
	Crab, Atlantic snow, cooked	75 g (2.5 oz)	47
	Halibut, cooked	75 g (2.5 oz)	25

Non-Meat Sources
	Pumpkin or squash seeds, roasted	60 mL (¼ cup)	317
	Brazil nuts, without shell	60 mL (¼ cup)	133
	Peas, black-eyed/cowpeas, cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	121
	Tempeh, cooked	150 g	116
	Soybeans, cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	109
	Almonds, without shell	60 mL (¼ cup)	99
	Cashews, without shell	60 mL (¼ cup)	90
	Beans (black, lima, navy, adzuki, kidney, pinto), cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	67
	Peanuts	60 mL (¼ cup)	66
	Flaxseed, ground	30 mL	56
	Tofu, prepared with magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate	150 g	56
	Lentils, cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	56
	Chickpeas/garbanzo beans, canned	175 mL (¾ cup)	48
	Sunflower seeds, without shell	60 mL (¼ cup)	43

The information in this resource is for general information purposes only and is not intended to replace informed medical advice. Consume foods according to any dietary guidelines you have been provided from a health care professional. Metro Ontario Pharmacies Limited assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information.